SCIENTIFIC MEASUREMENTS

At the end of this course, you should be able to:

1. Distinguish between basic and derived quantities
2. Identify basic units and derived units.
3. Recognise prefixesPrefixes refers to an affix that is added in front of the SI..., multiples and submultiples of fundamental and derived units.
4. Use scientific notationStandard form also known as Scientific notation, is  a way ... and significant figuresSignificant figures: Any digit of a number that is known wit... in numerical problems.

 The Scientific measurements

The scientific name for materialMaterial or Matter is anything which has mass and occupies s... is ‘matter’. All the matter occupies space and has what is called ‘mass’. Many properties of matter are quantitative; that is, they are associated with numbers. When a number represents a measured quantity, the units of that quantity must always be specified. To say that the length of a pencil is 17.5 for example, is meaningless. However, to say that it is 17.5 centimetres (cm) properly specifies the length. The units used for scientific measurements are those of the metric system. Matter can be measured in terms of time, length and mass.

The metric system, which was first developed in France during the late eighteenth century, is used as the system of measurement in most countries throughout the world.